Sports

Price's perseverance golden

It was a lot more than about Olympic and world championship gold medals at Highland Heights Public School on Tuesday afternoon.

While Brian Price's resumé as a coxswain for the Canadian men's rowing team since 2001 is impressive, it is what he overcame in his youth that led to his later achievements that seemed to leave a lasting impact on about 200 pupils from junior kindergarten to Grade 8.

The 34-year-old Belleville native talked about his gold medal with the men's eight from the Summer Olympics in Beijing, China and five gold in the same event from World Cups and three from world championships.

But it was his battle with childhood cancer and ultimate victory over the disease that may have been deemed the greatest accomplishment of all.

Price underwent chemotherapy and a harsh drug regime for leukemia, which played havoc with his thyroid and stunted his growth. It left him smaller than he should have been at five feet four and 121 pounds, but the perfect size for a coxswain, he said.

The illness motivated him, he said, and he credits having cancer for making him a world champion and Olympian in a sport he has loved for as long as he can remember. In fact his favourite saying is: "Without having had cancer, I would not have become a world and Olympic champion."

His message is one of hope and overcoming adversity to do what you want in life. He preaches three words, perseverance, determination and courage, terms he learned when he was a sick little boy in his preteen years.

"You can realize your dream, whatever that may be," he said. "It may be in sports, it may be in academics. I am a cancer survivor and offer hope when I talk to students and parents. I found something I could do and really love."

His talk touched Colin Chepeka, a 13-year-old pupil in Grade 8.

"It was really good," said Colin.

"It was motivational and an inspiration for kids who feel it is an impossible task. He overcame so much with cancer and has gone on to do so much. It's amazing."

Price, who also has won a silver medal and three bronzes in coxed pairs and a bronze in eight at the world level, first realized his dream when he made the national development lightweight team in 1998. He made the move to the heavyweight men's squad in 1999 and competed at the Pan Am Games in Winnipeg.

Price, who now lives with his wife Robbi and their two-year-old daughter Brianna Helen in Victoria, B.C., said he didn't know how many centres he got to as a speaker in a year but they were a lot. He was in Kingston on Monday and is in Norwood on Friday.

"I like to give the kids something tangible to see,'' he said, as he showed the students his Olympic gold medal.

"I like to talk with them." Price spoke for about 30 minutes then answered questions from the floor. He wrapped up mingling with the students and showing his medal in the main gym before moving to each classroom for short sessions.

Principal Barb Shaw said she got Price to come to Highland Heights through persuasive letters from her Grade 3 and 6 classes after the Vancouver Olympics and retired supply teacher Don McNeil, whose son Adam was a rower and knew Price.

"Brian contacted me and it was great to have him here," she said.

"It was important for the children to hear him talk about hard work and perseverance.

"He went through difficult times and overcame a lot. The children learned they can do it."